Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) affects millions of Americans each year and costs the United States billions of dollars in lost wages and health care costs.
Aside from the economic strain of the disorder, it can have a dramatic impact on your life.
Despite its commonplace in our society, and all of the education and interventions available to patients suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome, it is the most frequently acquired nerve injury in the body.
The onset of carpal tunnel symptoms is generally slow and gradual, and it is possible that you're doing damage to your wrists and hands without any direct level of awareness. What you do need to know, however, is that once carpal tunnel syndrome becomes symptomatic, it can get out of control fast — so don't hesitate to get checked out if you have any of the following symptoms listed below.
Numbness in your thumb, index and middle finger is a hallmark sign of carpal tunnel syndrome. Occasionally, patients will report that their entire hand feels numb, but that presentation could mean that there's a problem elsewhere in the body, specifically the neck.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is worse at night and when you first wake in the morning. CTS is typically bothered by sustained bending of the wrists, which occurs every night when you curl the blankets around you or fold your arm under the pillow. Compression for a period of hours is going to leave you stiff, sore and numb in the morning.
If you have to "wake" your hand up during the day by shaking it, you probably have CTS.
Patients vigorously shake their hands in an attempt to bring them back to life — similar to when a foot falls asleep after sitting for too long. Shaking often has marginal results though, and if your hand doesn't wake right up, it's time to get up and go to your doctor.
If your thumb muscle has shrunk in size that's a dangerously bad sign. It means that your nerve may be damaged beyond repair. This is typically the sign of a later stage of the disorder and most cases are intercepted well beyond this point. But if you're dealing with it on a chronic basis, you may be at more risk than you think.
Dropping things for unexplained reasons requires further investigation. If you're having trouble hanging onto your dishes, car keys, cell phone or any other routinely used item you should be consulting your doctor — the nerve in your hand has decided it's only going to work on a part-time basis, which is, of course, unacceptable considering how often you use your hands.
Tap the underside of your wrists together firmly. If this hurts, you should see a health care provider skilled in hand assessment. Normally, nerves aren't sensitive to short periods of vibration or compression and do tolerate daily life pretty well.
But an inflamed nerve has a much lower threshold for abuse — the tap test is a non-invasive way to see how much the problem has progressed.
Joe DiVincenzo is a physical therapist and clinical specialist in manual therapy. He writes "On the Mend" weekly. Questions may be submitted to Joe by email joedivincenzo@comcast.net.
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